Non-refillable bottles



, March 26, 1957 G. K. LAHAM y 2,786,592

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLES Filed May 7. 19544 United States Patent() NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLES George K. Lallam, Roslindale, Mass. Application May 7, 1954, Serial No. 428,350

2 Claims. (Cl. 21S-28) This invention relates to improvements in non-refillable bottles and more particularly to a simplified structure for such bottles which is inexpensive to produce and eiective for preventing any appreciable inflow of liquid into the bottle during attempts to refill the bottle or to adulterate the remaining contents of a bottle from which some of the original contents may have been poured.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a non-rellable bottle wherein a permanently secured cap member has two non-straight passages therethrough respectively for out-flow of liquid and inflow of air, the said passages coacting with a valve element to permit free outflow of liquid when the bottle is tilted to an outflow inclination but having extent and arrangement making it extremely diicult if not impossible to insert a wire or other element, through either of the passages into a position to lift or hold the Valve element from its seat during any attempt to flow liquid into the bottle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nonrellable bottle wherein a valve element normally seats by gravity to close the bottle and wherein generally diametrically opposite passages serve for outflow of liquid and inflow of air respectively, each said passage having an abrupt change of direction which makes it difcu-lt to insert any element through the passage into engagement with the valve element.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure and eiectiveness of non-rellable bottles, and more especially to accomplish the mentioned objectives simply and economically.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a medial cross-sectional view of the upper portion of a non-rellable bottle embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the bottle of Fig. l in condition for dispensing liquid contents of the bottle;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the valve element which is shown in the neck of the bottle in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing a moditied form of out-ow passage.

Referring to the drawing, the neck portion of a bottle is exteriorly threaded at 12 around the mouth end of the neck. A cap member 14, of plastic or any other suitable material, has one end relatively deeply chambered at 16 with the walls of the chamber interiorly threaded at 18 for screwing on the threaded portion of the neck 10. However, before the cap is screwed on neck 10, a substantial coating of cement 20, or the like, is applied to the threads 12 and/ or the threads 18 to effect a permanent securement of the cap on the bottle neck when the cap is screwed tight on the neck and the cement 20 is allowed to set.

According to the invention, a tapering valve element 22 engages loosely in the mouth opening 24 of the bottle and has an annular flange 26 at its larger diameter end for resting upon or engaging against the mouth end of the bottle when the bottle is in upright position, or when pressure of liquid may force the valve element to seated Patented Mar. 26, 1957 condition even though the bottle may be in any tilted position, or bottom end up, assuming an effort to force liquid into the bottle. 'Ihe valve element has a pm 28, or the like, projecting axially from its flanged end for maintaining the flanged end of the valve element substantially spaced from the end Wall 17 of the chamber 16 when the valve element is unseated enough to cause pin 28 to engage the end wall 17 of chamber 16.

Preferably, a small-diameter passage 30 extends through the valve element 22, from one end to the other, for a purpose which later will appear.

The cap member 14 has an outow passage 32 leadlng from the chamber 16 through solid portions of the cap member and opening through an end portion of the cap which may be provided with a relatively short pouring spout 34 whose outlet is shown closed by the removable closure 36.

Another passage 38 Ileads from chamber 16 through solid portions of cap member 14 and opens through an end portion of the cap member, preferably at a diametncally opposite location in the cap member from the outow passage 32.

It is a feature of the invention that each of the two passages 32, 38 has an abrupt change of direction within solid portions of the cap member with the portion of each which is adjacent to the location of its opening into chamber 16 extending-obliquely outward to a location which preferably is closely adjacent to the juncture of the side and bottom walls of the chamber. As illustrated in the drawing the outow passage 32 has a straight part 32a extending a substantial distance inwardly and downwardly from the spout 34 and has a generally right-angular related straight part 32h extending downwardly and outwardly from the inner end of part 32a and opening into chamber 16 lclose to the said juncture of the chambers side and end walls. Hence, in any efIort to insert a wire or other element through the outflow passage for lifting or holding the Valve element 22 from its seat, the inserted element must negotiate a right-angle bend and, if successful in doing that, its inner end will be directed against the top end of bottle neck 10 with substantially no possibility that it can become engaged between the valve element and its seat.

Passage 38 in cap member 14 is generally similar to outflow passage 32 but of much smaller diameter. It has generally right angularly related parts 38a, 38h, with the part 38b opening into chamber 16 close to the juncture of the chambers side and end walls at a location which may be diametrically opposite the location of the opening of part 32b into chamber 16. This passage 38 is a vent passage whose outer end may be closed by a strip of tape 4t), or the like, after iilling of the bottle and the passage ordinarily will continue closed during storage and shipment, the tape being removed when the bottle initially is to dispense contents, after which the vent passage may be left open, assuming that contents of the bottle will be completely dispensed within a reasonable length of time. However, if contents are to stand indenitely in the bottle after the initial dispensing of contents, the vent passage preferably will be again covered with tape or the like.

lt will be apparent that any attempt to lift or hold valve element 22 from its seat by a wire or other element inserted in passage 38 will meet with even greater difficulty than in the similar attempt through passage 32.

When pouring from the illustrated bottle, the tape 40 and closure 36 will be removed and the bottle tilted to the position generally illustrated in Fig. 2, with the spout 34 directed downward. In this tilted position of the bottle, valve element 22 will be unseated but the projecting pin 28 on the valve element maintains it in spaced relation to the end Wall 17 of chamber 16, so that liquid from the bottle can ow relatively freely around the valve element and through the outow passage 32. The inner end of vent passage 38 meanwhile is elevated to an extent which ordinarily permits inow of air to replace the out-flowing liquid thus facilitating rapid and continuous out-pouring of liquid. If the liquid should rise above the inner end of the vent passage, a slight issuing of liquid from the vent provides a signal to the pourer to place a linger over the outer end of the vent until the tilt of the bottle is reduced enough to again uncover the inner end of the vent passage 38.

The minute passage 30 through the valve element 22 facilitates unseating of the valve element by equalizing the pressure at opposite sides of the valve element.

It may be desirable in some cases to further increase the diiculty of inserting a wire, or the like, through the outflow passage in cap member 14. This may be accomplished by providing staggered projections along the outflow passage, or along either part 32EL or 32b thereof, as illustrated at 42 in Fig. 4.

While I have disclosed what l now consider to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made in vstructural details within the scope of the appended claims, and it is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

l. A non-rellable bottle having an outow opening at one end, a valve element having a tapering body for extending loosely into said outfiow opening and having the larger diameter end portion of said tapering body adapted to engage the walls of said outflow opening for guiding said valve element and closing said opening and having an annular flange at the large diameter end of said body for seating against the end of the bottle around said outflow opening when said tapering body is entirely within said opening, a cap arranged over said outflow opening and the said valve element therein and permanently secured to the open end portion of the bottle a substantial interior chamber opposite said valve element into which chamber said valve element can move outwardly with simultaneous withdrawal of the valve element from said outow opening, a projection on the flanged end of said valve element arranged for coaction with that wall of said chamber which is opposite said outflow opening thereby to stop said outward movement of the valve elemen-t short of said chamber wall, means defining a single minute relatively long vent passage extending entirely through said valve element from one end to the other thereof, said vent passage equalizing gaseous pressure within the bottle and in said cap chamber when the valve element is seated and being adapted to be closed by liquid against passage therethrough of either liquid or gas, an outflow passage extending from said cap chamber and opening through the cap at an outer end portion thereof, and a vent passage extending from said cap chamber and opening through the cap at an outer end portion thereof, each of said outflow passage and vent passage having an abrupt change of course within said cap and said passages opening through the cap at generally opposite sides thereof.

2. A non-refillable bottle as deiined in claim 1 wherein the inner ends of said outow and vent passages in said cap open out of said cap chamber closely adjacent to the periphery of the chamber at opposite sides of the chamber.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 523,918 Palmer July 31, 1894 649,752 Reepmaker May 15, 1900 684,498 Doolittle Oc-t. 15 41901 862,799 Branch Aug. 6, i907 898,261 Rainey Sept. 8, 1908 2,053,191 Crossman Sept. l, 1936 2,115,721 Jackson et al. May 3, 1938 2,582,566 Schwimmer et al Ian. 15, 1952 2,650,734 Todd Sept. 1, 1953 2,673,655 Greene Mar. 30, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,536 Great Britain 1911 

